(56d) Prediction of Pressure Drop and Liquid Holdup in Katapak-Sp Using a Particle Model

Various experimental efforts have been reported in the literature in an attempt to understand the hydrodynamic behavior of a relatively new family of catalytic structured packings: KATAPAK-SP. The only approach so far used to represent the experimental results obtained for KATAPAK-SP 11 & 12 relies in the channel model. The purpose of this work was to verify the suitability of a particle model originally developed for random and structured packings (Stichlmair et al., Gas Sep. Purif., 3, 19, 1989) by extending its applicability to catalytic structured packings, particularly for the KATAPAK-SP family. In doing that, a more suitable liquid holdup correlation for the open channels was proposed. The question on how liquid splits into the open channels and catalyst bags still remains partially unanswered. In an attempt to solve this, a new calculation procedure has been devised here to reasonably determine the liquid share between the open channels and the catalyst bags. Model predictions in terms of pressure drop and liquid holdup are presented and discussed in this work for the case of KATAPAK-SP 11 & 12.